If you’re a regular reader of this column, you may recall that last September I wrote about my glamorous role in county‑fair competition, specifically making sure my daughter’s heifers had spotless derrieres before entering the ring. That level of competition required me to help scoop poop, catch poop, and wipe poop, all so her heifer looked its absolute best. I used to think I was the cool dad coaching her lacrosse team. I’ve since been relegated to rear‑end quality control.
Until this most recent Labor Day weekend, I’ve spent the last 19 years living in the Sauk Prairie community without ever participating in one of its most time-honored traditions: the flinging of cow pies. Sauk Prairie is home to the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw Festival, where participants hurl dried cow chips with the enthusiasm of wannabe Olympians and the accuracy of a toddler tossing Cheerios. I have now officially flung poop, and I must admit it was a lot of fun! I just hope I never find myself stepping in it, literally and figuratively.
So why participate now after nearly two decades of avoiding airborne manure? Last month I shared that we’re hosting a foreign exchange student, Maria, from Madrid, who is the same age as my daughter. What better way to introduce her to American culture than to have her sling cow poop within a week of arriving? Naturally, we couldn’t ask her to do it without participating ourselves, so we entered as a team. It was another step in helping her feel welcome in our home and community and a reminder that shared misadventures can be surprisingly effective bonding experiences.
Reflecting on that long holiday weekend and the sense of community woven through it has me once again appreciating October as National Cooperative Month. This is when we celebrate cooperatives of all kinds, across industries, services, and communities, and the unique economic and social relationships they create. The cooperative business model has thrived for more than 180 years because at its core is the member, guided by seven cooperative principles that emphasize participation, equity, and service. It’s an open, voluntary, and autonomous relationship that can financially benefit members when profits, or margins, are returned as patronage.
Sometimes, the connection our state’s electric cooperatives foster extends far beyond their own service territories. As much as your local cooperative works to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electricity at home, they also volunteer to help communities that have no electricity at all. Right now, WECA is partnering with our counterparts in Illinois and Minnesota, along with NRECA International, to raise funds to send a crew of twenty linemen to electrify a remote village in Guatemala in July 2027. NRECA International has worked in Guatemala for many years, transforming lives by helping cooperatives bring electricity to homes, schools, and community buildings. I’m incredibly proud of our cooperatives’ commitment to planning and supporting this project.
I’ll have more to share in the months ahead, but efforts like this are yet another reason we celebrate the good work and the goodwill of the people in your local electric cooperative.
Happy National Cooperative Month!